2022 Sang Soo Lee Award Winner

Get Involved

Andrew Forbes Named the 2022 Sang Soo Lee Award Recipient

Optica (formerly OSA) and the Optical Society of Korea (OSK) are pleased to name Andrew Forbes, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa, the 2022 Sang Soo Lee Award recipient. Forbes is honored for advancing photonics in South Africa through strategic leadership in executing national photonics programmes, high-impact research and education, and mentorship of African researchers.

Andrew Forbes received his PhD from the University of Natal, South Africa. He is currently a Distinguished Professor in the School of Physics at the University of Witwatersrand, where he established a new laboratory for Structured Light.

Forbes’ leadership has transformed the advancement of photonics in Africa. He is a founding member of the Photonics Initiative of South Africa (PISA), which aims to accelerate and grow photonics research and impact in South Africa, and an initiator of South Africa’s Quantum Technology Initiative. He is an active participant in the African Laser Centre, organizing and hosting numerous training events in South Africa. He also strives to increase the visibility of South African research initiatives internationally, coordinating events and programs with global organizations such as Optica.

He serves on many advisory panels, conference committees, and journals, and is presently the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Optics. His contributions to the field have been recognized through several national awards, as well as the Georg Forster Prize from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, and the South African Institute of Physics Gold Medal, the highest award for physics in South Africa. He is a Fellow of Optica, the South African Institute of Physics, and SPIE, and an elected member of the Academy of Science of South Africa.

Established in 2013, the Lee Award recognizes outstanding leadership in founding or growing an optics and photonics community in a specific population, anywhere in the world. It honors Prof. Sang Soo Lee for his pioneering role in establishing optics in the Republic of Korea. The award is jointly presented in even years by Optica and Optical Society of Korea (OSK), and is endowed by Optica, OSK, and the family of Sang Soo Lee.

About Optica
Optica (formerly OSA), Advancing Optics and Photonics Worldwide, is the society dedicated to promoting the generation, application, archiving and dissemination of knowledge in the field. Founded in 1916, it is the leading organization for scientists, engineers, business professionals, students and others interested in the science of light. Optica’s renowned publications, meetings, online resources and in-person activities fuel discoveries, shape real-life applications and accelerate scientific, technical and educational achievement.

About the Optical Society of Korea
Founded in 1989, the Optical Society of Korea (OSK) is the leading academic society in the field of optics and photonics in Korea. OSK provides academic activities including domestic and international optics conferences, tutorials, seminars, workshops, and publishing services including journals, technical digests, monographs, and technical bulletins.